"...those who matter don't mind."

I’d like to share with you one of my favorite Dr. Seuss quotes: “Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.” If you come to my home, you will find this quote in several different places so that I can continually be reminded to be the person I was created to be and not who the world expects me to be.

This is not always easy though. We can often feel as though certain expectations are placed on us. In order to believe we have meaningful lives, we are told that we have to go to certain places, own certain things, know just the right people, etc.  I know that I, for one, have spent way too much of my life being the person I thought others wanted me to be rather than who I am called to be. I have questioned my words and my actions, afraid that others would think less of me because I said or did the wrong thing. I have based my own worth off of the opinions of others rather than deeply listening to and taking value in the person God had created me to be.

But as time has gone on, I have discovered the courage to follow the path that God has set before me so that I can begin the journey to become the person I’m meant to be. What I’ve found though is that as I’ve followed my own path, some people in my life have gotten upset with me. Friends have been lost as I’ve tried to authentically be myself. Yet at the same time, there have been others, who though they might not agree with me on certain things, have continued to love and accept me. They’ve respected my desire to be authentic.

In John 15:18-19, Jesus says “If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you.” It’s safe to say that following Jesus isn’t always easy. In fact, sometimes it’s downright hard. When we tap into our calling, we begin to say and do things we never imagined. We stand up against injustices when no one else will; we learn to love those who others have trouble loving; we begin to see the good in our enemy; in short, our whole life changes, but we become comfortable in our own skin. So remember, just be yourself.

Robby Francis is a Campus Minister in Griesedieck Complex.